U.S. patent number 6,449,497 [Application Number 09/041,089] was granted by the patent office on 2002-09-10 for system and method for use of feature codes in a wireless communication device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Qualcomm Incorporated. Invention is credited to Bilhan Kirbas, Eric J. Lekven.
United States Patent |
6,449,497 |
Kirbas , et al. |
September 10, 2002 |
System and method for use of feature codes in a wireless
communication device
Abstract
A wireless communication device contains a speed-dial storage
area containing one or more user-entered destination telephone
numbers. An additional memory area contains the plurality of sets
of additional digits to be added to the user-entered destination
telephone number. The user associates one or more additional sets
of digits to a selected user-entered destination telephone number.
A control processor automatically adds the associated set of
additional digits whenever the user-entered destination telephone
number is selected. The sets of additional digits may be
pre-programmed by the service provider or programmed by the user.
The sets of additional digits may include codes for features such
as caller identification transmission, caller identification
blocking, message waiting cancellation, and the like. In addition,
other sets of digits, such as area codes and other prefixes may be
pre-programmed by the service provider or the user. The additional
sets of digits may be added to all subsequent calls to the selected
user-entered destination telephone number until the control
processor is selectively disabled. The processor may be disabled by
manual intervention by the user or by turning the power-off to the
wireless communication device.
Inventors: |
Kirbas; Bilhan (San Diego,
CA), Lekven; Eric J. (Carlsbad, CA) |
Assignee: |
Qualcomm Incorporated (San
Diego, CA)
|
Family
ID: |
21914672 |
Appl.
No.: |
09/041,089 |
Filed: |
March 10, 1998 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/564;
455/566 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M
1/2746 (20200101); H04M 1/57 (20130101); H04M
1/27485 (20200101); H04M 1/724 (20210101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04M
1/2745 (20060101); H04M 1/57 (20060101); H04M
1/274 (20060101); H04M 1/725 (20060101); H04M
1/72 (20060101); H04Q 007/32 () |
Field of
Search: |
;455/403,414,415,550,564,566,575 ;379/216,355,356 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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|
|
|
|
|
0768785 |
|
Apr 1997 |
|
EP |
|
9203882 |
|
May 1992 |
|
WO |
|
9422260 |
|
Sep 1994 |
|
WO |
|
9711546 |
|
Mar 1997 |
|
WO |
|
Primary Examiner: Tsang; Fan
Assistant Examiner: Sobutka; Philip J.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Wadsworth; Philip R. Martin; Roger
Hom; Raymond B.
Claims
We claim:
1. A wireless communication device comprising: a housing; a
transceiver within the housing to communicate with a communication
device remote from the system; an antenna affixed to the housing
and electrically coupled to the transceiver; a battery to provide
electrical power to the system; a memory containing a plurality of
feature codes; a display; a keypad input device affixed to the
housing to sense user operation thereof to enter a destination
telephone number and to select a feature codes for association with
the user-entered destination telephone number; and a control
processor to automatically pre-pend the associated feature codes to
the user-entered destination telephone number to thereby generate a
complete destination telephone number, wherein the control
processor is selectively enabled and adds the associated feature
codes to the user-entered destination telephone number in all
subsequent calls to the user-entered destination telephone number
until the control processor is selectively disabled, the
transceiver transmitting the complete destination telephone number
to establish a wireless communication link with the communication
device associated with the complete destination telephone
number.
2. The system of claim 1 wherein the wireless communication device
has a power-on mode and a power-off mode, wherein the control
processor is selectively enabled when the wireless communication
device enters the power-on mode and the control processor adds the
associated feature codes to the user-entered destination telephone
number in all subsequent calls to the user-entered destination
telephone number until the wireless communication device enters the
power-off mode, the control processor being disabled when the
wireless communication device enters the power-off mode.
3. A system for the automatic addition of digits to a destination
telephone number in a wireless communication device, the system
comprising: a housing; a transceiver within the housing to
communicate with a communication device remote from the system; a
keypad input device affixed to the housing to sense user operation
thereof to enter a destination telephone number; a data structure
containing a plurality of predefined prefixes; a control processor
to automatically add a selected one of the plurality of prefixes to
the user-entered destination telephone number to thereby generate a
complete destination telephone number, the transceiver transmitting
the complete destination telephone number to establish a wireless
communication link with the communication device associated with
the complete destination telephone number; and a speed-dial storage
area to store a plurality of destination telephone numbers wherein
the user-entered destination telephone number is selected from the
speed-dial storage area and the selected prefix is associated with
the user-entered destination telephone number selected from the
speed-dial storage area.
4. The system of claim 3, further including an indicator stored in
the speed-dial storage area in association with the user-entered
destination telephone number selected from the speed-dial storage
area to indicate the association of the selected prefix with the
user-entered destination telephone number selected from the
speed-dial storage area.
5. The system of claim 3 wherein the control processor is
selectively enabled to add the selected prefix to the user-entered
destination telephone number.
6. The system of claim 5 wherein the control processor adds the
selected prefix to the user-entered destination telephone number in
all subsequent calls to the user-entered destination telephone
number until the control processor is disabled.
7. The system of claim 5 wherein the wireless communication device
has a power-on mode and a power-off mode and the control processor
adds the selected prefix to the user-entered destination telephone
number in all subsequent calls to the user-entered destination
telephone number until the wireless communication device enters the
power-off mode, the control processor being disabled when the
wireless communication device enters the power-off mode.
8. A system for the automatic addition of digits to a destination
telephone number in a wireless communication device, the system
comprising: a keypad input device to sense user operation thereof
to enter a destination telephone number; a memory containing a
plurality of sets of additional digits to be added to the
user-entered destination telephone number; a user-controllable
enable signal to selectively enable addition of sets of additional
digits from the memory; a control processor to automatically add a
first one of the sets of additional digits to the user-entered
destination telephone number to thereby generate a complete
destination telephone number; a speed-dial storage area to store a
plurality of destination telephone numbers, the user-entered
destination telephone number being selected from the speed-dial
storage area; and an indicator stored in the speed-dial storage
area in association with the user-entered destination telephone
number selected from the speed-dial storage area to indicate an
association of the first set of additional digits with the
user-entered destination telephone number selected from the
speed-dial storage area.
9. A method for the automatic addition of digits to a destination
telephone number in a wireless communication device, the method
comprising the steps of: storing a plurality of sets of additional
digits; sensing user entry of a destination telephone number;
selectively enabling the addition of sets of additional digits from
the plurality of stored additional digits; if selectively enabled,
automatically adding a first set of additional digits to the
user-entered destination telephone number to thereby generate a
complete destination telephone number; and selectively disabling
the addition of sets of additional digits wherein the step of
adding automatically adds the first set of additional digits to the
user-entered destination telephone number in all subsequent calls
to the user-entered destination telephone number until the step of
selectively disabling the pre-pending of prefixes is performed.
10. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of adding automatically
adds a second set of additional digits to the user-entered
destination telephone number to thereby generate a complete
destination telephone number.
11. The method of claim 10 wherein the step of enabling the
addition of sets of additional digits is performed independently
for the first and second sets of additional digits.
12. The method of claim 9, further including the step of storing a
plurality of destination telephone numbers in a speed-dial storage
area, the step of sensing user entry of a destination telephone
number sensing user selection of a destination telephone number
from the speed-dial storage area.
13. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of storing a plurality
of sets of additional digits includes storing at least a portion of
the sets of additional digits by the service provider.
14. The method of claim 9 wherein the step of storing a plurality
of sets of additional digits includes storing at least a portion of
the sets of additional digits by the user.
15. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of selectively
disabling the adding of sets of additional digits being performed
when the wireless communication device enters a power-off mode.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related generally to a wireless
communication device, and more particularly, to a system and method
for using feature codes in a wireless communication system.
II. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication devices, such as cellular telephones, are
widely used as a replacement for conventional telephone systems. In
addition to functioning as a replacement for a convention
telephone, wireless communication devices offer the advantage of
portability, thus enabling the user to establish a wireless
communication link from almost any location on Earth to almost any
other location on Earth.
To establish a communication link using a typical wireless
communication device, the user enters the desired destination
telephone number (e.g., 555-1234) and presses a "SEND" button.
Frequently used telephone numbers may be stored in a speed-dialing
storage area within the wireless communication device. To establish
a communication link with a telephone whose number is stored in the
speed-dialing storage area, the user simply recalls the desired
speed-dialing location and presses the SEND button.
One disadvantage of the conventional wireless communication device
is that the user must manually enter additional digits to use
feature codes. For example, feature codes such as "*82" can be
pre-pended to the destination telephone number to transmit call
identification data (i.e., caller-ID) to the destination telephone.
Similarly, caller-ID can be blocked by pre-pending "*67" to the
destination telephone number. If a speed-dial storage location is
programmed with the telephone number 555-1234, the telephone number
in the speed-dial location must be edited to utilize the feature
codes. To use the feature codes, the user must memorize the feature
codes and the function associated with each of the feature
codes.
Some prior art wireless communication systems do include an edit
mode that permits the user to manually pre-pend feature codes to
existing telephone numbers in the speed-dial storage locations.
However, such a system is cumbersome because the user must enter
the edit mode, manually add the desired digits, and exit the edit
mode prior to initiating the call. Furthermore, the user must
manually edit the data in the selected speed-dial location each
time a call is initiated.
Therefore, it can be appreciated that there is significant need for
a system and method to automatically pre-pend feature codes to
destination telephone numbers in a wireless communication device to
thereby provide a complete destination telephone number. The
present invention provides this and other advantages as will be
illustrated by the following description and accompanying
figures.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is embodied in a system and method for the
automatic addition of digits to a destination telephone number in a
wireless communication device. In an exemplary embodiment, the
system comprises a keypad input device to permit user entry of a
destination telephone number. A memory contains a plurality of sets
of additional digits to be added to the user-entered destination
telephone number. The system further includes a user-controllable
enable signal to selectively enable the addition of sets of
additional digits from the memory. A control processor
automatically adds a first one of the sets of additional digits to
the user-entered destination telephone number to thereby generate a
complete destination telephone number.
In an exemplary embodiment, the control processor can automatically
add a second one of the sets of additional digits from the memory
to the user-entered destination telephone number to thereby
generate a complete destination telephone number. The system may
further include a speed-dial storage area to store a plurality of
destination telephone numbers. In this embodiment, the user-entered
destination telephone number may be selected from the speed-dial
storage area. The system may further include an indicator stored in
the speed-dial storage area in association with the user-entered
destination telephone number selected from the speed-dial storage
area. The indicator is used to indicate an association of the first
set of additional digits with the user-entered destination
telephone number selected from the speed-dial storage area.
In one embodiment, at least a portion of the sets of additional
digits are pre-programmed into the memory by a service provider.
Alternatively, at least a portion of the sets of additional digits
may be pre-programmed into the memory by the user.
The system may also include a display that displays the completed
destination telephone number. A transmitter within the system may
transmit the completed destination telephone number only if the
user confirms the displayed destination telephone number by
activating the keypad input device in a pre-determined manner.
The system may be selectively activated to add the first set of
additional digits to the user-entered destination telephone number
in all subsequent calls to the user-entered destination telephone
number until the control processor is selectively disabled.
Alternatively, the wireless communication device has a power-on
mode and a power-off mode. In this embodiment, the control
processor adds the first set of additional digits to the
user-entered destination telephone number in all subsequent calls
to the user-entered destination telephone number until the wireless
communication device enters the power-off mode. The control
processor is disabled when the wireless communication device enters
the power-off mode.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of
the wireless communication device of the present invention.
FIG. 2A illustrates a technique to enable an option to select
prefixes used by the wireless communication device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 2B illustrates the display of prefix data by the wireless
communication device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 2C illustrates the editing of prefix data by the wireless
communication device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 2D illustrates a technique for storing prefix data used by the
wireless communication device of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3A illustrates a technique used by the wireless communication
device of FIG. 1 to associate prefixes with a selected destination
telephone number.
FIG. 3B illustrates the display used by the wireless communication
device of FIG. 1 to store an associated prefix with a selected
destination telephone number.
FIG. 4 illustrates a technique used by the wireless communication
device of FIG. 1 to confirm a destination telephone number in which
one or more prefixes have been pre-pended to a stored telephone
number.
FIG. 5 illustrates the operation of the wireless communication
device of FIG. 1 to store associated prefixes and destination
telephone numbers.
FIGS. 6A and 6B together form a flowchart illustrating the
operation of the wireless communication device of FIG. 1 to define
prefixes and associate prefixes with a destination telephone
number.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the wireless
communication device of FIG. 1 to automatically pre-pend prefixes
to a destination telephone number.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention provides a technique for automatically
pre-pending feature codes to a destination telephone number to
thereby generate a complete destination telephone number. For
purposes of the present discussion, a "complete" destination
telephone number is one in which one or more prefix digits are
pre-pended to a user-entered partial destination telephone number
to generate a destination telephone number which will be
satisfactory for completion of the desired telephone call in the
manner desired by the user. For purposes of the present discussion,
a "partial" destination telephone number is one in which the
user-entered telephone number does not supply sufficient
information to complete the telephone call in the manner desired by
the user (e.g., with caller-ID). The present invention
automatically pre-pends the necessary digits to the partial
destination telephone number to thereby generate a complete
destination telephone number.
The telephone system in the United States requires the entry of
seven digits for a complete local telephone number and ten digits
for a long distance call. However, the user must pre-pend prefix
digits to the local or long distance call to implement features,
such as caller-ID, and the like. The present invention conveniently
provides the user with a list of call features and automatically
pre-pends the necessary digits to the user-entered destination
telephone number. In addition, as will be discussed in detail
below, the present invention can automatically add the necessary
pre-pended digits to subsequent telephone calls to the user-entered
destination telephone number.
The present invention is embodied in a system 100 illustrated in
the functional block diagram of FIG. 1. The system 100 includes a
central processing unit (CPU) 102, which controls operation of the
system. A memory 104, which may include both read-only memory (ROM)
and random access memory (RAM), provides instructions and data to
the CPU 102. A portion of the memory 104 may also include
non-volatile random access memory. As will be discussed in greater
detail below, the non-volatile random access memory portion of the
memory 104 may be used to store destination telephone numbers and
feature codes.
The system 100, which is typically embodied in a wireless
communication device such as a cellular telephone, also includes a
housing 106 that contains a transmitter 108 and a receiver 110 to
allow transmission and reception of data, such as audio
communications, between the system 100 and a remote location, such
as a cell site controller (not shown). The transmitter 108 and
receiver 110 may be combined into a transceiver 112. An antenna 114
is attached to the housing 106 and electrically coupled to the
transceiver 112. The operation of the transmitter 108, receiver
110, and antenna 114 is well known in the art and need not be
described herein.
A keypad 118 is attached to the housing 106 for operation by the
user in a conventional manner. As will be described below, the
keypad 118 provides a convenient input device by which destination
telephone numbers may be entered by the user. The keypad 118 also
includes one or more scroll buttons 120 that allow the user to
sequentially move through the stored destination telephone numbers.
The scroll buttons 120 also provide a convenient technique for
selecting feature codes for pre-pending to a user-entered
destination telephone number.
The system 100 also includes a display 122 that may conveniently
used to display instructions to the user as well as user-entered
data, such as destination telephone numbers. In an exemplary
embodiment of the system 100, the display 122 will display a
completed destination telephone number for the user prior to
initiation of a telephone call.
The user-entered data, such as partial destination telephone
numbers, are entered into the system 100 using the keypad 118 and
may be stored in a telephone number storage area 126, which is
sometimes referred to as a speed-dial storage area. The telephone
number storage area 126 may be included in the non-volatile memory
portion of the memory 104 or may be a separate storage area. While
depicted as a conventional memory, those skilled in the art can
appreciate that the telephone number storage area 126 may be any
suitable data structure.
The system 100 also includes a dialed digits storage area 132 to
temporarily store the destination telephone number. The dialed
digits storage area 132 receives the partial telephone number
entered by the user via the keypad 118 if the user is manually
entering the desired destination telephone number. However, the
system 100 will automatically enter the partial destination
telephone number selected from the telephone number storage area
126 into the dialed digits storage area 132 in response to the user
selection one of the stored destination telephone numbers.
A prefix storage area 128 is used to store one or more feature
codes that may be predefined by the telephone service provider or
defined by the user. As will be discussed in detail below, the user
can easily select feature codes from the prefix storage area 128
and add them to the partial destination telephone number to
generate the complete destination telephone number. Once selected
by the user, the feature codes may be automatically pre-pended to
subsequent calls to the particular destination telephone number or
pre-pended to all subsequently entered destination telephone
numbers.
When the user enters a partial destination telephone number or
selects a partial destination telephone number from the telephone
number storage area 126, the partial destination telephone number
is supplemented by adding feature codes to generate a complete
destination telephone number. The complete destination telephone
number is stored in the dialed digits storage area 132. In
operation, the transmitter 108 transmits the data in the dialed
digits storage area 132 to initiate a telephone call to the
destination telephone whose telephone number is stored in the
dialed digits storage area.
A call history storage area 134 stores a predetermined number of
previously dialed destination telephone numbers. For example, the
call history storage area 134 may store the destination telephone
numbers from the last ten phone calls. The data in the dialed
digits storage area 132 is transferred to the call history storage
area when a telephone call is initiated. The call history storage
area 134 is conveniently used to recall previously dialed telephone
numbers. In an exemplary embodiment, the complete destination
telephone number is stored in the call history storage area 134. In
an alternative embodiment, only the partial destination telephone
number will be stored in the call history storage area 134. In this
alternative embodiment, the user can selectively control whether
the feature codes will be pre-pended to the partial destination
telephone number if using destination telephone numbers stored in
the call history storage area 134.
The components of the system 100 are powered by a battery 140. In
an exemplary embodiment, the battery 140 is a rechargeable battery.
Alternatively, the system 100 may be powered by an external source,
such as an AC adapter (not shown), an automobile power supply
adapter (not shown), or the like.
The various components of the system 100 are coupled together by a
bus system 142, which may include a power bus, control signal bus,
and status signal bus addition to a data bus. However, for the sake
of clarity, the various bus illustrated in FIG. 1 as the bus system
142.
The operation of the system 100 to add prefixes to the partial
destination telephone number may now be described. In an exemplary
embodiment, the prefix storage area 128 has a structure illustrated
in the table below.
TABLE 1 Prefix Table Prefix No. Prefix Digits Definition 0 312
Chicago 1 011 International 2 *82 Caller-ID 3 *67 Block ID 4 *70
Message Cancel 5 *82 619 Caller-ID San Diego . . . . . . . . . 9 --
--
Table 1 illustrates ten prefix storage locations that each include
prefix digits and a definition or description of the prefix digits.
It should be understood that the number of prefix storage
locations, the number of prefix digits, and the number of
characters in the definition/description is limited only by the
storage capacity of the prefix storage area 128. The present
invention is not limited by the specific size of the prefix storage
area 128. In one embodiment, the feature codes, such as caller-ID,
may be preprogrammed by the manufacturer or preprogrammed by the
service provider at the time the wireless communication device is
purchased. Alternatively, the user may enter the desired feature
codes or additional prefixes, such as area codes, long distance
codes, and the like. Table 1 illustrates this embodiment where a
combination of feature codes and long distance codes have been
entered in the prefix storage area 128. For example, prefix number
5 includes both a feature code (i.e., *82) and an area code (i.e.,
619). Thus, the user may enter one or more feature codes or other
prefixes in the prefix storage area 128.
FIGS. 2A-2D provide an example of a programming technique used to
enter data into the prefix storage area 128. The use of option
lists in a wireless communication device is well known. In FIG. 2A,
an options list shown on the display 122 includes a prefix list
option. The user operates the scroll buttons 120 in a known fashion
to select the prefix list option. In FIG. 2B, the prefix list
option has been selected and the first prefix (i.e., prefix 0) is
shown on the display 122. The user may activate the down scroll
button 120 to select a different prefix from the prefix storage
area 120 or activate the up scroll button 120 to edit the currently
displayed prefix.
FIG. 2C illustrates an example of editing the currently displayed
prefix. In FIG. 2C, the previous area code has been replaced by
area code 619 and a description of the user-entered prefix
indicating that the area code corresponds to the San Diego area.
The user may activate the up scroll button 120 to further edit the
currently displayed entry, or activate the down scroll button 120
to confirm the editing changes made to the currently displayed
data. If the user activates the down scroll button 120 to confirm
the edited display, the system 100 may change to the display of
FIG. 2D to query the user whether the new item should be added to
the prefix storage area 128. The user activates the up or down
scroll buttons 120 in the desired manner. If the user activates the
up scroll button 120, the edited data is stored in the prefix
storage area 128. The user may edit other entries in the prefix
storage area in a similar manner. Those skilled in the art can
appreciate that other techniques commonly used to select options in
a wireless communication device can be used to enter new data in
the prefix storage area 128 or to edit existing entries in the
prefix storage area.
The prefixes may be selected from the prefix storage area 128 and
associated with partial destination telephone numbers entered by
the user via the keypad 118 (see FIG. 1) or associated with
speed-dial telephone numbers in the telephone number storage area
126. The table below provides an exemplary embodiment of a
technique used to associate one or more prefixes with a partial
destination telephone number stored in the telephone number storage
area 126.
TABLE 2 Telephone Number Storage Area Location No. Stored No.
Prefix Association 0 555-1234 2, 0 1 -- -- 2 -- -- 3 -- -- 4
555-1235 5 . . . . . . . . . 99 -- --
As illustrated in Table 2, a number of speed-dial storage locations
are available in the telephone number storage area 126. The actual
number of storage locations available depends on such factors as
the amount of non-volatile RAM available for the user. However, the
present invention is not limited by the specific number of
available storage locations in the telephone number storage area
126. In the example illustrated in Table 2, storage location 0
contains the partial destination telephone number 555-1234. Also
stored in Table 2, in association with storage location 0, are the
prefixes 2 and 0. The prefix association values indicate locations
within the prefix storage area 128 where the appropriate prefixes
may be found and automatically pre-pended to the stored number to
thereby generate a complete destination telephone number. In the
example illustrated in Table 2, the storage location 0 includes the
stored partial destination telephone number 555-1234 and pointers
to the prefixes *82 and 312, respectively, in the prefix storage
area 128 using the example of Table 1. The example illustrated in
Table 1 includes the area code 312, corresponding to the Chicago
area, in storage location 0. However, in the example illustrated in
FIGS. 2A-2D, prefix number 0 was edited to the prefix 619,
associated with the San Diego area. In this example, the prefix
association in the speed-dial storage location 0 in the telephone
number storage area 126 would include the area code 619. Thus,
whenever the user recalls speed-dial storage location 0 from the
telephone number storage area 126, the associated prefixes are
automatically pre-pended to the stored telephone number to thereby
generate a complete destination telephone number.
In another example, the speed-dial storage location 4 contains the
stored telephone number 555-1235. Associated with the speed-dial
storage location 4 is the prefix 5, which when referring to Table
1, contains the feature code *82 along with the area code 619.
Thus, when the user selects the speed-dial location 4 from the
telephone number storage area 126, the system 100 automatically
pre-pends *82 619 to the stored telephone number 555-1235 to
thereby generate a completed destination telephone number 82 619
555-1235.
The process of associating a selected prefix from the prefix
storage area 128 with a speed-dial location in the telephone number
storage area 126 is illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B. In FIG. 3A, the
user has recalled the partial destination telephone number in the
speed-dial storage location 0, containing the partial destination
telephone number 555-1234, using conventional techniques. The user
may edit the speed-dial storage location 0 by activating the down
scroll button 120. In response to activation of the down scroll
button 120, the system 100 displays the current contents of the
prefix list stored in the prefix storage area 128. In FIG. 3B, the
prefix location 0 is shown on the display 122. In the example of
FIG. 3B, the prefix location 0 has been edited (see FIGS. 2A-2D)
and now contains the area code 619 associated with the San Diego
area. The user may select a different prefix from the prefix list
stored in the prefix storage area 128 (see FIG. 1) by activating
the down scroll button 120. If the user wishes to associate the
displayed prefix, the user activates the up scroll button 120 to
add the prefix association to the selected speed-dial storage
location. If the user activates the up scroll button 120, the
prefix association is stored in the telephone number storage area
126 in association with the selected speed-dial storage location.
Thus, the system 100 offers a simple and flexible technique by
which the user may add one or more prefixes to telephone numbers
stored in the telephone number storage area 126. For example, a
user from the San Diego, area may normally use the telephone number
in the speed-dial storage location 4 without adding any additional
prefixes. However, when traveling to a location outside the San
Diego area, the user can quickly select one or more prefixes to
associate with the stored telephone number and the selected
prefixes will be automatically pre-pended to the stored telephone
number whenever the user subsequently recalls the selected
speed-dial location in the telephone number storage area 126. In
the example shown in Table 2 above, the system 100 automatically
pre-pends *82 619 to the partial destination telephone number
555-1235 in the speed-dial storage location 4.
In an exemplary embodiment, the system 100 automatically pre-pends
the associated prefixes to the partial destination telephone number
selected from the telephone number storage area 126. In an
alternative embodiment, the system 100 may request confirmation
from the user that the complete destination telephone number is
correct. This is illustrated in FIG. 4 where the completed
destination telephone number is shown on the display along with a
message requesting confirmation by the user. If the user activates
the up scroll button 120, the system 100 will initiate a wireless
communication link between the wireless communication device and
the communication device associated with the completed destination
telephone number.
In an exemplary embodiment, the system 100 stores the selected
prefixes until the wireless communication device is turned off. At
that point, all prefix associations are deleted. However, the
destination telephone numbers stored in the telephone number
storage area 126 (see FIG. 1) are not deleted. Alternatively, the
system 100 can display a message to the user to determine whether
the associated prefixes should be retained even after power is
turned off to the wireless communication device. This is
illustrated in FIG. 5 where the display 122 provides the user with
an option to store the associated prefixes permanently, by
selecting the up scroll button 120, or by storing the associated
prefixes temporarily, while the power remains on, by activating the
down scroll button 120.
The operation of an exemplary embodiment of the system 100 is
illustrated in the flowchart of FIGS. 6A and 6B. At a start 150,
illustrated in FIG. 6A, the wireless communication device is under
power. At decision 152, the system 100 determines whether the user
wishes to edit a prefix entry. An example of this step is
illustrated in FIG. 2A where a list of options are shown on the
display 122 for selection by the user. If the user selects the
prefix list option, the result of decision 152 is YES. In that
event, in step 154, the system 100 displays the prefix list from
the prefix storage area 128 (see FIG. 1) on the display 122. In
step 158, the system 100 senses user activation of the keypad 118
to select one of the prefixes from the list. As described above,
the user may, by way of example, activate the scroll buttons 120 to
select the desired prefix for editing.
In step 160, the system 100 senses user activation of the keypad
118 and/or scroll buttons 120 to edit the selected prefix entry. In
decision 162, the system determines whether the user wishes to edit
more prefix entries. The user may edit one or more prefix entries
in a single editing session. This editing may include altering
existing data in the prefix storage area 128 (see FIG. 1), entering
new prefix data into previously unused locations in the prefix
storage area, or clearing existing prefix data from the prefix
list. If the user wishes to edit additional entries in the prefix
list 128, the result of decision 162 is YES. In that event, the
system 100 returns to step 154 to display the prefix list for
additional editing by the user. If the user has completed the
editing process, the result of decision 162 is NO. In that event,
in decision 166, illustrated in FIG. 6B, the system 100 determines
whether the user wishes to save the edited list. This is
illustrated in FIG. 2D where the user is asked to confirm whether
or not to add the newly edited prefix data to the prefix storage
area 128. If the user wishes to save the edited data, the result of
decision 166 is YES and the system 100 saves the edited data in the
prefix storage area 128 in step 168 and ends the editing process at
170. If the user does not wish to save the edited list, the result
of decision 166 is NO and the process ends at 170 without saving
the edited prefix data in the prefix storage area 128.
The operation of the system 100 to recall partial destination
telephone numbers from the telephone number storage area 126 (see
FIG. 1) and to automatically pre-pend selected prefix data is also
illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 6A. Returning again to FIG.
6A, if the user does not wish to edit a prefix entry, the result of
decision 152 is NO. In step 180, the system 100 senses user
activation of the keypad 118 and/or scroll buttons 120 to recall a
partial destination telephone number from the telephone number
storage area 126. The recall of data from a specific speed-dial
location in the telephone number storage area 126 is accomplished
in a well-known fashion, and is illustrated in an exemplary
embodiment in FIG. 3A. In step 182, the system 100 displays at
least part of the prefix list on the display 122. The user selects
one or more prefixes for association with the selected partial
destination telephone number. This process is illustrated in FIGS.
3A and 3B where a selected speed-dial location from the telephone
number storage area 126 is associated with one or more prefixes
selected from the prefix storage area 128.
In decision 188, the user is asked to confirm the selection of
prefixes for association with the selected partial destination
telephone number. If the user does not confirm selection, the
result of decision 188 is NO, and the system returns to step 182 to
display the prefix list to associate one or more other prefixes
with the selected partial destination telephone number. If the user
confirms selection of the prefixes, the result of decision 188 is
YES and, in step 190, the system 100 stores the prefix associations
in the telephone number storage area 126. The process ends at 192.
Thus, the user can create a customized prefix list and associate
one or more prefixes with selected destination telephone numbers
from the telephone number storage area 126. Alternatively, as
described above, the user may be limited to feature codes that are
preprogrammed into the prefix list 128 by the manufacturer of the
wireless communication device or by the service provider at the
time the wireless communication device is purchased and programmed
for operation.
The operation of the system 100 to automatically pre-pend one or
more prefixes to partial destination telephone numbers is
illustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 7 where, at a start 200, the
wireless communication device is under power. In step 202, the
system 100 senses user input to recall a selected one of the
destination telephone numbers from the telephone number storage
area 126. In step 204, the system 100 recalls one or more prefixes
from the prefix storage area 128 that are associated with the
selected partial destination telephone number. As illustrated in
Table 2 above, the system 100 permits the association of prefixes
from multiple prefix storage locations in the prefix storage area
128 (see FIG. 1) with each speed-dial location in the telephone
storage area 126.
In step 208, the system 100 automatically pre-pends the associated
prefixes to the partial destination telephone number to thereby
generate a complete destination telephone number. In step 210, the
completed destination telephone number is shown on the display 122
(see FIG. 1). In decision 212, the user is asked to confirm the
addition of prefixes to the partial destination telephone number.
It should be noted that the process of display and confirmation
illustrated in step 210 and decision 212 is optional, but provides
the user with an opportunity to confirm the selection of the
pre-pended digits. If the user does not confirm the displayed
completed destination telephone number, the result of decision 212
is NO and the system returns to step 202 to restart the process by
recalling a telephone number from the telephone number storage area
126. If the user does confirm the completed destination telephone
number shown on the display 122, the result of decision 212 is YES.
In that event, the transmitter 108 (see FIG. 1) transmits the
completed destination telephone number to a remote location, such
as a cell site controller (not shown) and ends the process at
216.
Thus, the system 100 provides great flexibility in programming
prefixes, such as feature codes, area codes, and the like, and
provides a simple technique for associating one or more selected
prefixes with a stored destination telephone number. Various
embodiments of the system 100 have been described above. For
example, the prefix storage area 128 may be preprogrammed by the
manufacturer or service provider such that the user is limited to
the selection of preprogrammed feature codes. Alternatively, the
system 100 may provide the user with programming capability to
select only the feature codes desired by the user. In addition, the
user may also enter other prefix data, such as area codes, long
distance codes, and the like. The prefix storage area 128 may
contain individual prefixes or combinations of prefixes.
In addition, a selected speed-dial storage location in the
telephone number storage area 126 may be associated with one or
more prefixes from the prefix storage area 128. As described above,
a plurality of single prefixes may be associated with the selected
destination telephone number in the telephone number storage area
126. Alternatively, the prefix storage area 128 may contain
multiple prefixes within a single storage location. In this
embodiment, only a single prefix storage location from the prefix
storage area 128 need be associated with the selected destination
telephone number. Furthermore, the multiple speed-dial locations in
the telephone number storage area 126 may be associated with the
same prefixes in the prefix storage area 128. For example, the
prefix *82 may be associated with several partial destination
telephone numbers in the telephone number storage area 126.
The system 100 also provides multiple options for storing the
associated prefixes on a permanent basis even if power is turned
off to the wireless communication device. In an alternative
embodiment, the user may elect to temporarily associate the
selected prefixes with the selected destination telephone numbers
only until the power is turned off the wireless communication
device.
It is to be understood that even though various embodiments and
advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the
foregoing description, the above disclosure is illustrative only,
and changes may be made in detail, yet remain within the broad
principles of the invention. Therefore, the present invention is to
be limited only by the appended claims.
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